Ah, that first car. What was yours? Mine was a 1961 Chevrolet Corvair. Here’s a picture of a ‘63, they didn’t change much only mine wasn’t a convertible, and I got it in 1977 so it didn’t look anything like that. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking…Ralph Nader, blah blah blah, but they fixed that problem (and you really dated yourself if you know what I was talking about) My wife’s first car was a ‘71 Pinto. Yeah, the one that blew up! What can I say, we liked to live dangerously. How dangerously? Hers had been hit before she bought it and the way they fixed it prevented you from installing the anti-blowup kit that Ford came out with later.
When you’ve been around any industry long enough, people start asking you questions. One of the questions I don’t get asked often enough is, “What kind of car should I get my kid for their first car?” My first answer used to be, “You shouldn’t! They should get a job, work, save money, and buy it themselves, that way they’ll appreciate it!”
That was sound advice from my dad thirty years ago when you could buy something decent, and at least reasonably reliable, for two or three hundred dollars. Dear old dad always believed that a kid’s first car should barely limp from point A to point B, and require lots of TLC. Of course, he had three sons and lived in a rural, very rural, area. I have a daughter and live in Southern California. I want to know she’s going to make it home. I have enough gray hair thank you very much! Unless someone started a trust fund when they were born, you’re average sixteen year old can’t afford anything that will clear the driveway without help, much less get them back and forth to work reliably. So dad’s ideas are not exactly practical in today’s marketplace, not around her anyway.
Whoa! Back up? Did he just use the word ‘practical’? Now there’s an interesting word, and one that you won’t hear from many people in my profession. Did I mention I sell cars? Well, I do. In fact I’ve been selling new Chevrolet cars and trucks in the Inland Empire for 21 years, and here at Rotolo Chevrolet since August of 1989. I’m one of those mystery people you hear about in the business; you have to already know who I am before you can buy from me, if you just walk in you’ll never find me. Heck, half the people here don’t know who I am or what I do… Here, I’ll make it easy for you, “Hi, my name is Jim Dailey.” There, now you know me! Nice to meet you by the way, please be sure you call me before you come in or, like I said, you’ll never find me. They try to keep me away from the buying public. I don’t play the game the way most salespeople do, I don’t do the whole back and forth negotiation thing, takes too long and I just don’t have the time, that’s why I work by appointment. If you’re looking to haggle, you won’t be happy with me, I take all the fun out of it. Long story, we’ll talk later.
Where were we? Oh yeah! Why should your kid’s first car be practical? I mean, what’s wrong with cute, sporty, fast, cool, or just plain fun? Nothing really, all of those things were great, when you could get one for two or three hundred dollars. News flash, three hundred dollars doesn’t put good tires on your kid’s car these days.
Since before I started driving people (my driver’s ed teacher for one) always said that your car was the second biggest purchase you’ll ever make. For many of us, when you add up all we spend on our cars versus our homes, it’s a much closer race than it used to be.
Let’s face it, Money is the hardest lesson most of us will every learn. It ranks second only to relationships. So the sooner you start teaching it to your kids, the better.
So why a truck? What makes a truck so much more practical? Well, let’s start with the definition. One word– Versatility! Do you know what the original ancestral heritage of the modern pickup was? Most people will tell you it was the wagons of the old west, or even the hand drawn carts used in the medieval marketplaces. Personally, I think it started all the way back at the first Chariot with our impressive young hero, Henpectus Matrimonius charging off to war. His loving wife kisses him goodbye and sends him on his way. Skirt flying and muscles rippling he leaps into his chariot and just as he flicks the reigns she yells, “Could you stop on your way home and pickup…”
“But my goddess…,” He begins, only to be cut off.
“Don’t give me that,” she snaps. “You’ve got plenty of room in there, even with your big feet. And watch the bumps this time, last time you lost half of that bushel of apples. You know, you should put a little gate across the back so things don’t roll out.”
So why should your little cherub begin his or her driving life with one?
For starters, they only seat two or three people–Legally that is. We’re talking regular cab here by the way. And as we all know, three is a crowd. (This argument didn’t work when I was a teenager because we were still allowed to let people ride in the back.) Did you know peer pressure is a problem for teens? Go figure! How big a problem? Well, go check out this article from, of all places, the Centers for Disease Control. I know what you’re thinking–When did driving become a disease? Hey, we all know people that leave that open to debate. Bad driving certainly seems to be contagious, but that’s not the point. These people track causes of death and according to the article, not only do motor vehicle crashes account for 36% of all deaths among US teens, but the presence of teenage passengers actually increases the risk; and the risk goes up for each additional passenger! Why? Showing off and distraction are the two words that come first to my mind. So eliminating as many of those distractions is a good thing. And since most single cab trucks will only seat two (comfortably anyway) well, you do the math. It will also save your kids a little money by not allowing their friends to use them as a taxi service.
Second, trucks cost more and are generally more expensive to operate. Finding a good, used truck can be a challenge all by itself. Finding one that even pretends to be affordable usually requires buying from a friend, friend of a friend, or a relative. Because they are designed primarily as work vehicles, they generally do not get as good gas mileage as a small car. Of course most small cars only get the mileage they claim when being driven by a simulator on a make believe test track by a machine at the EPA test center. You didn’t think they actually drove them did you? Go ask anyone who bought a Prius the first year they came out what they had to do to even get close to the posted ratings. I personally passed one on the I-10 one Sunday afternoon in which the driver had posted a note on plain white paper in the rear window apologizing for the fact that the was only doing fity miles per hour on the Interstate, but that he was getting fifty miles to the gallon. In my book, a car that you have to drive alone, in the right lane of the freeway, at twenty miles per hour under the speed limit is not a success. Especially when you have to spend the whole time worrying if that guy in the truck is going to notice you in time to change lanes rather than running you over. You shouldn’t have to take your life in your hands to get decent mileage. But that’s another story. The fact that the truck doesn’t get the best mileage forces the kids to manage their money a little more carefully.
So as I said, trucks are practical. You never really outgrow your need for a truck. That cute little two-door loses it’s appeal about the second time you need to move anything bigger than a toaster oven. Hopefully, your kids are going to move out of the basement someday and when they do the freedom that a truck affords will be beyond price. Being the father of a daughter I especially like knowing that my baby doesn’t need to ask some stud to help her pick up that dinette set, chair, dresser, or whatever else she found at that yard sale across town. Let’s face it; there are always those invisible price tags when you’re asking a guy for ‘help’. Even if it’s your best friend’s boyfriend, he may not be next week and then he’s looking for a date because you owe him, or his buddy needs a date, or… Moving on… Even after college, if they got that far, and into the more advanced stages of life; marriage, family, etc; how can you own a home without a truck? You can’t! Trust me, I know, I tried it and I hated it! “Oh look, it’s spring and we need to do something with the flower beds.” Twenty bags of compost in the trunk of the family car on a hot day leaves a lasting impression, let me tell you! Maybe you’re a handy guy and you’re going to fix that drain yourself. Go ahead, rent that super-duper clog buster and toss it in the back of your wife’s SUV, I dare you.
Cars are a big part of our lives, do your kids a favor and help them learn early to make the most of their options. Oh yeah, and when the stick turns blue, they can always move up to an extended cab or crew cab.
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Gas is approaching $4 a gallon and the economy is in recession already according the the fed so the likelihood of the price of oil going down is slim. We’re also approaching Summer, which is travel season. It is typical during this time that demand increases and supply decreases. These simple economics drive prices up so what can you do?
